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Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels will speak and perform at the inaugural “Veteran Impact Celebration” in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Thursday, June 28. The sold out fundraiser benefiting MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center (Daniels Center) will be held from 6-9 p.m. at The Grove at Williamson Place off Medical Center Parkway near Interstate 24. The event will highlight corporate and community leaders who have generously supported and invested in the Daniels Center’s transitioning student-veterans and military family members.
“We owe our country’s veterans for their service and should do everything we can to help them,” noted Daniels. “The Daniels Center does a great job of supporting the student-veterans and helping them to transition from military to civilian life. Thank you to everyone who has supported this inaugural sold out event. Every donation makes a difference.”
The private event features dinner, a VIP meet and greet/photo op with Daniels, as well as additional speakers, including retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, and university President Sidney A. McPhee.
“This will be an incredible night of music, recognition and appreciation,” Huber said. “We will celebrate the impact of our veterans and their precious families as they continue to serve our nation, now out of military attire, as leaders in our communities and workforce.”
“We will recognize the business leaders and organizations which provide opportunities and loyal support to our military,” Huber added. “We will appreciate the unparalleled commitment of MTSU to our veterans as well as the patriotic foundation of support, the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center.”
The Daniels Center is the largest and most comprehensive veterans center on any Tennessee higher education campus. It enables the campus’ 900-plus student-veteran population to have a one-stop shop to meet a variety of academic needs. The 3,200-square-foot center is located in the Keathley University Center, right in the heart of the MTSU campus. The center is a place for MTSU’s student veterans to study, to gather and to get help from fellow veterans, who serve as peer advisers and sponsors. The Transitioning Home Office assists student veterans — or any student — in making the transition from being a college student to getting their career underway.
“MTSU’s Daniels Center has provided a welcoming space for myself and my family as I transition into the university community,” said Jacqueline Evans of Florence, South Carolina, a veteran of the U.S. Marines and a senior leisure, sports and tourism studies major.
The “Veteran Impact Celebration” is sponsored by The Journey Home Project, the Nashville Predators, Hiller, Dollar General, Mission BBQ, The Grove at Williamson Place, the Steel Barrel Brewing Company, and Stones River Total Beverages.
Planning for the 2019 “Veteran Impact Celebration” is currently underway. The annual event will take place each year on the Thursday preceding the 4th of July.
